


The Fires That Burn

by theonlywaterintheforest



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AO3 1 Million, F/M, Fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 14:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1188690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonlywaterintheforest/pseuds/theonlywaterintheforest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She got lucky. She got out of prison. But there would be no release via trial for him. He didn't have the right to trial.</p><p>She'd go back for him eventually. She just needed time to let out her frustrations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fires That Burn

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up: the Doctor and River fight, and they get a little rough with each other.

"Gooood morning, sweetheart!" the Doctor cooed as River threw open both doors to the TARDIS. "What brings you to this lovely Box today? I mean, me, I guess. You called me. What brings me to Retti Alpha?"

She pulled a gun out of a holster and aimed it right with him, giving him eyes that could make the 12-tonne rock monsters of Targus V retreat. He instinctively threw his hands in the air and backed away as far as he could, which meant he nearly toppled over the deck railing.

"Don't even try to start with me," she hissed as she jumped up the steps leading out of the console room.

Her mental link with the TARDIS proved useful because she created an ironclad barrier the second River stepped through the doorway. It would take hours, maybe even days of pleading with his Old Blue Box before she would let the Doctor in the hallway. It depended on how long it took the TARDIS to forgive him for his egregious error. She was, after all, on River's side. 

The thigh high black boots she wore made a loud, echoing noise on the hallway walls, almost louder than the Doctor's yelling and pounding on the other side of her barricade. She passed by four doors and then turned right into a small hallway and into a left door. She slammed it behind her with all the force she could muster. She hoped he heard it. He needed to know just how infuriated she was with him.

She tore her leather jacket off with fury, throwing it as hard as she could against the wall. The TARDIS's hum turned more shrill, but River knew it was because of their connection, not because she was slamming doors and throwing things at walls. It was a noise of disbelief in him, in support of her. It was like it was saying, "He truly can be awful sometimes" or "I'm mad _for_ you." She sent back a thought of appreciation right before she toppled to the ground. River had lost her balance trying to remove her boot. The lights brightened and River growled. "I'm fine, I'm just fine!" She removed the boot stuck around her heel, and went for the other while still lying on the floor. When they were both off, she flung them as hard as she could across the room and stood up. The lights went back down to their normal levels and River strode out of the dressing room and into the bathroom.

As she crossed the wide expanse (it was the largest bathroom on the TARDIS), she crossed her arms at her hips and peeled her tank top off her skin, which was soaked with sweat. "Give me my relaxation track!" she yelled with more force than necessary, and hurtled the shirt across the room. River had enough time to turn to the bathtub and crank the knobs before the sound of Iijillin meditation flutes filled the room. It took longer than usual, and it made River stop and think about what she was doing.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, middle finger and thumb on separate eyebrows as she massaged her lower forehead. "You know what he did, you can read my thoughts, I..I'm just taking it out on you, Girl. I shouldn't do that, I know. I'm sorry."

And with that, the lights dimmed, and the scent of Iijillin rain forests filled the room. River then removed the rest of her clothes as carefully as possible. She folded them and placed them neatly on a table beside the tub (in a peace offering to the TARDIS. She'd never normally do that). 

After securing her hair up in a clip, she selected a few bottles from the wall and poured the thick liquids into the tub. She swirled it around with her hand, and the water turned a deep, opalescent emerald green with a golden green steam rising out of it. Sighing, she stepped into the tub and submerged herself up to her nose. She closed her eyes and breathed in with the cadence of the Iijilin flutes.

* * *

Retti Alpha was a purely matriarchal society. But that's not to say that the men just weren't equal to the women. They weren't close to equal. Men were slaves, pure and simple. They weren't allowed to have any kind of schooling, hold any sort of rank, or express any thoughts or feelings. They weren't allowed to talk in front of women, make eye contact with women, or touch women (unless told to for the good of the race). 

River was there simply because it fascinated her. Few planets this technologically advanced held one sex in such low regard. She pretended to be a tourist there strictly for the spas (a multi billion dollar tourism industry, their largest), but she was mainly there for educational reasons. Sure, enjoyed the massages and the Tooji root detox and the levitation tanks, but she wanted to see first hand how they treated their men. She sneaked into residential areas and mass housing units at night, keeping notes on what she saw. It was one of the best expeditions she had made in her life, and she thought she was going to get away with it.

That is, until her husband showed up.

Even if the nearby planets got along with Retti Alpha and Retti Alpha them, it was a known rule that you obey the customs of this world when you were on it. No men from other worlds had been on the surface. They were very strict about this. The Doctor had apparently never gotten that memo, or he did but thought he'd try to make them change their ways. Silly, stubborn Doctor. They don't take lightly to male guests. And River didn't take lightly to being thrown under the bus.

She hadn't expected it because he was usually so good with diplomatic relations. He did his research. He was a smart boy. But he was too curious and too loud and too proud. She still didn't know what was so urgent that he needed to come down to the surface to find her, couldn't just wait _one more day_ , when she was due to leave. No, he showed up to the spa, telling the front desk he needed to see his wife, it was urgent. That was when all hell broke loose.

One, as a man you don't speak.

Two, as a man you don't walk into a place by your own volition. 

Three, as a man you don't go onto the surface of a planet that doesn't accept male guests.

And four, you don't announce that you are in some sort of binding contract a _woman_ and a _man_ made _together_ as a _couple_ , where they agreed to be _equals._

They got extra beatings just because of that one word, "wife".

River had just emerged from jail after serving three months, but only because she had the best (female) lawyer in the galaxy (Qori Roqri owed River her life, quite literally, after a gamble in Nousix). Her bones were still bruised from the struggle she put up the day she was arrested. She would have been only "lightly punished" if the Doctor had shut his damn mouth the second they put the metal cuff around his neck. "You can't do anything to my wife! She did nothing wrong! I accept full responsibility for this! Let her go!"

River shuddered in the water at the memory of those words, causing a violent ripple in the bath. Normally those words would give her warmth, but not here. Not this situation. There were several things wrong with that sentence, the primary one being that he, a man, was going to own the responsibility for something she, a woman, "did wrong". Men don't take ownership of anything on Retti Alpha. If they claim possession for an item or idea, it's torture and jailtime. If they claim possession or authority over a woman, it's a death sentence. A woman who would _allow_ such a thing was also to be punished with an extremely long sentence.

She got lucky. She got out. Now River was taking refuge in the TARDIS, where the Old Girl would understand what kind of _idiot_ the Doctor was being. Qori, also being an extremely talented criminal, was plotting the Doctor's escape as River soaked. There would be no release via trial for him. He didn't have the right to trial.

She'd go back for him eventually. She just needed time to let out her frustrations.

River mentally informed the TARDIS she'd need the boxing room set up after the bath.

* * *

She had refilled the water five times and had gone through eight different Iijillin trance states before there was a loud knock at the door. 

"River!"

She removed the clip from her hair and sunk entirely under the green water so she couldn't hear him. _You've forgiven him already, Old Girl? You're more on his side than I thought._

The TARDIS told her it had been over six hours, but she refused to believe it. Plus, six hours wasn't long enough, anyway.

"RIV-ER!"

She gasped for a new breath of air and went under again.

* * *

She thought maybe if she ignored him long enough he'd go away, but it had been an hour and he was still going at it, pounding on the door and shouting her name. He was on a mission and nothing could stop him.

It was when he finally calmed down that River listened to him.

He hadn't knocked on the door for two whole minutes, just growling and making exasperated noises. Then he spoke. "River, I...the TARDIS won't tell me what I did, and I don't blame her. Spoilers and all." River nearly smiled. "But I haven't seen her this mad in ages. She says I betrayed you and if she says I betrayed you, I totally did. Please, let me in. I'm sorry for what I did...whatever I did."

She contemplated it, but seven hours still wasn't long enough. She took a couple of breaths to prepare herself for another underwater stay.

"I just want to know you're okay."

She huffed. She was down to her chin in the water. A second later and she would have been under, unable to hear him.

She fought with herself a minute. _Yes_ and _no_ and _fat chance_ , but one word finally won. She could hear the door unlock, and then slowly creak open.

River took a couple of shallow breaths before diving back under the water.

Ever good with water, it took her about 82.5 seconds before she came back up. And there, sitting on the edge of the claw foot tub, was her Doctor with a sad look on his face.

"I'm not trying to drown myself or anything," she sputtered, avoiding eye contact.

His arms were crossed over his chest, which was without the jacket or the braces. He had those on earlier when she entered the TARDIS. "It most certainly looks like you are," he said softly.

"I really don't want to talk to you right now, you know," she hissed. "I'm just letting you know I'm alive and—" she went to dive back under and he grabbed her wrist from out of the water, soaking his sleeve in the process. She finally looked at him in his eyes. His eyes were daggers. 

"Tell me what I did wrong."

"I can't tell you, you know tha—"

"Damn your spoilers," he growled, throwing his hand into the water to grab her other wrist. "You've never been this mad with me before. What did I do."

He was starting to hurt her, unintentionally. He was just so angry his grip was harder than he intended. She could feel the bones in both wrists shift to the side. She'd never let him know he was hurting her, though, and she just kept glaring up at him through her eyebrows.

"No."

" _What._ "

"You can't know and you don't deserve to know because you don't deserve to talk to me right now."

"Oh, here we go again, you're blaming a future version of myself for something I didn't do! And you can't even _tell_ me what I did so I can try to fix it! Dammit, Riv—"

"Future version of you or not, you still did it. _You_ did. And you deserve the punishment you got," she growled with heat behind her words. 

His eyes were on fire. "I deserved it, did I." It was not a question.

"Oh yes, I've been in jail for three months, where I've been tortured and mishandled and left to tend my own wounds because of _you._ "

His eyes finally drifted down to her body and his breath caught in his throat. She believed she lost something close to 11 kilograms. She knew her skin was pale and a slight sickly shade of grey, save for the couple of pale yellow bruises still lingering from a beating she got a couple weeks ago for talking back to a guard. He released her wrists quickly, holding his hands where they were in air as he continued to process what was in the tub beneath him. He breathed out slowly and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. River just massaged her wrists, giving him one of the most malicious glares she had ever dished out in her life. The left wrist had popped out of place, and she pushed it back with a nice _crack_. 

Then he lurched, reaching for her armpit. She panicked, trying to avoid his grasp. He could not touch her again, not now, she wouldn't have anything to do with it. "Just let me!" he yelled, still trying to get a good grip under her arm. She flailed and tried to sit up, but there was too much movement. Water splashed about violently, soaking him up and down. "Just let me get a good look at—" And he finally got her, using strength it doesn't look like he should have, lifting her up a bit out of the tub. She gasped and slammed her eyes shut as pain surged in her right arm. She could hear the sonic running up and down her side. He then gasped and let go, dropping her back into the tub with a thud and a splash. When she opened her eyes, she saw his hands were over his face. She growled loudly and massaged her shoulder. 

"I didn't scan all of you because I assumed I was hurting you, pulling on your torn rotator cuff," he whispered as he wiped his hands down his face. 

"You assumed correctly."

"From just small scan I ran, you have two broken ribs and that torn cuff. And there was probably other injuries three months ago, correct?"

"If you only knew, _Sweetie_ ," she hissed slowly, poison dripping from her words. 

He just stared at her for a few minutes, seemingly trying to figure out what happened to her. Even though they hadn't made the mental connection yet in his timeline, she made a conscious effort to block her brain from him. She just glared at him from over the edge of the cold water, trying not to shiver. 

"River, I..." he finally gasped, shoulders sulking. "I'm sorry."

Anger. It spread through her like wildfire. "Sorry?! Sorry doesn't begin to cut it for _three MONTHS_ —"

She tried to rise out of the tub but he put both hands out to push her back. There was no force; it was just a barrier to keep her from getting out. He cringed. "I didn't mean I was sorry for what I did to piss you off so badly. I meant I was sorry for not stopping when you tried to get out of my grasp."

There was silence from her end.

"I was just...so upset that someone hurt you so badly."

More silence.

"Please, just tell me who hurt you."

Silence.

"River, I just...I don't want this to happen. I can rewrite time. This might never ha—"

"You did." Pure venom on her words.

He was so shocked by the words he almost slipped off the edge of the tub. "E-excuse me?"

"You did."

He was dumbfounded. "I...I hurt you. I broke your ribs and tore your muscles and _I_ caused you pain for months. I don't think so. Not me, River So—"

"Inadvertently, _yes._ It was you," she sat up in the tub and leaned toward him. "You...you _fucked up_ so badly you hurt your—" She almost said "wife", but they weren't in that stage of his timeline yet. She took a deep breath and went back under the water. When she came up, he was standing and his bow tie was missing. He glared at her from four feet above her. 

"This is all your fault, and I'd like you to leave," she rattled after a minute of silence. Her voice was cracking. Tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes.

Slowly and deliberately, he crouched down at the side of the tub. He rested his chin on the edge, along with both elbows, running his forearms flush with the rim. He was eye to eye with River, eyes she hadn't seen him give her since Demon's Run, when he was angry she wouldn't help him rescue Amy and herself. But he hadn't been there yet, so this could be the earliest recorded instance of the eyes that nearly killed her. Her breath caught in her chest. 

"Why is it my fault." He wasn't calm, she knew he wasn't. He was all spring loaded, ready to attack. 

"I _told_ you, I can't tell you."

"Tell me."

"Spoilers," she said quickly, going to push herself up out of the water. But he was too fast, and he was leaning over the tub within milliseconds. 

"I am not leaving until you tell m—"

"You better leave, goddammit, or I'll—"

"This is _MY _TARDIS and she will expel you to the nearest plan—"__

"She's on _my_ side!"

"Oh, she _IS_ , is she?!"

"Just ask her! Ask your precious TARDIS whose side she's on and we'll see how—"

"River Song, you will regre—"

She slapped him hard across his right cheek and he stopped. 

For 4.8 seconds. 

Then he was diving for her and she pushed and he cried out, she dug her nails into his arms and he had a deathgrip on her shoulders and she tried to kick and then all of a sudden—

_SPLASH._

"GET OFF OF—" she screamed to the Doctor now pinning her down in the tub with his whole body, but was interrupted by the force of his lips on hers. She jerked around viciously before she realized what was going on. She released her death grip from his back, where she had been digging her nails into him with all the force she had. She leaned back from his lips and threw a hand in between his and hers when he went back in for another kiss. 

"What, I...Is this some sort of _joke_?"

"You know, you're beautiful when you're angry." He was almost laughing. She nearly lost it.

"I'm not kidding, you know. I am _furious_ with..."

She realized he was just loosely straddling her, holding onto her face, beaming into her eyes with love and apologies and regret.

"I am truly not in the mood for this right now," she snapped, but didn't move. She didn't even squirm. "I am so, so mad and you and I will be for so, so long."

"I don't doubt it, but _River_." He apparently felt it was safe enough to lean back in because he was again millimeters from her face, running his hands through her wet curls. "You're here. You're safe. This version of me will baby your wounds and hold you close and make you tea or have the TARDIS make you tea because for some reason I'm rubbish at getting the water to the right temperature," he rambled. She was astonished to find she was smiling. "I'm sorry I raised my voice, I'm sorry I held you so tightly, and I'm sorry I didn't take your words as gospel.

"Don't tell me what happened. I don't want to know. I don't want any spoilers. I just want you to take the words I'm saying _now_ as a devotion to you because...I love you."

The beast in her chest purred. She could feel herself loosening up and there were suddenly tears in River's eyes. She had assumed she was a point where she'd never hear it again. She wanted to cherish it, breathe it in, let it surround her.

She whispered it back to him with as she softly took his lips. She was far from forgiving him, but she was on the right path.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Millionth Fanwork, AO3!
> 
> This originally was meant to be a one-shot, but now that I've published it I'm realizing I _need_ to write the Doctor's escape from prison. So, I don't know when I'll get it to you guys, but you can expect ~~another chapter~~ many chapters (This fic has evolved!).
> 
> (Also, I want to write more stories of the Iijilli planet just because that's a fun planet name. Iijilli. Iiiiiiiiiijilli.)


End file.
